Severus Snape x Reader one shots

Since it was so dead, your boss had gone home and left you with the responsibility of locking up the shop at the end of your shift. It was becoming more and more common that you were left alone at the store. You didn’t mind though. Your boss was an older man and he had difficulty standing for long periods of time, so he didn’t do much around the store anyways. Besides, when you were alone you were able to put on music and complete your work in peace.

You had just dragged out a box from the back of the shop and were unboxing and shelving new copies of Voyages with Vampires by a man named Gildeory Lockhart. The pompous looking wizard flashing a smile at you from his photo on the back as you lined up the books on one of the shelves. Your boss had gotten in a shipment of almost every book the Lockhart man had ever written since it was as he said, “Bound to fly off the shelves!”

Of course, they almost never did but you weren’t paid to argue. After you finished with the books, you restocked some of the miscellaneous stuff the shop carried up by the register. Crystal phials, bottles of ink, and some spare quills. You glanced up at the clock once finished and sighed when you realized only two hours had passed.

You tried busying yourself with sweeping the already clean floors, reorganizing the book display for the hundredth time, and even unrolling and rerolling the scrolls of parchment for sale. Few customers sprinkled in here and there, but they never stayed for long. Mostly stopping in to grab one or two items and leaving without much more than a ‘hello’.

Having finally run out of things to do, you plopped yourself down on the stool behind the register and propped open a random book to try and pass the time. It was actually quite interesting. You found yourself becoming absorbed into the story. Flipping through pages eagerly awaiting what was going to happen next. It had you on the edge of your seat. You were nearing the end of a paragraph when someone cleared their throat.

It startled you so much, you dropped the book. Hopping off your stool, you bent down to retrieve it. “I’ll be with you one second!” You called up to the awaiting customer. You snatched up the book, but as you went to stand up straight again, you bumped your head on the counter.

“Shit, Ow.” Rubbing where your head was struck, you blushed and set the book on the counter. “Sorry about that. How can I help…you?” The words faded into a whisper. Standing before you was one of your former professors.

“I see you still haven’t managed to expel such language from your vocabulary Miss L/N.”

“Professor Snape I-” Your cheeks reddened further. “What are you doing here?”

His eyebrow raised in amusement as he glanced down at the items strewn out on the counter before you. A couple of corked glass phials and a quill. Realization struck you and you suddenly felt very silly.

“Oh of course! My apologies.” You entered in the prices for the items onto your register, all while trying to hide your face from his scrutinizing stare. “12 sickles please.”

As Snape rummaged around in his pocket, you started rolling the glass items in paper and placing them in the awaiting brown bag. When you passed over the bag, he dropped several of the coins into your hand. His fingers lightly brushing against your skin as he did so.

“Are you really reading that rubbish?” Snape gestured to the abandoned copy of Wanderings with Werewolves you had been so engrossed in.

“What? It’s actually pretty good! Plus, I had nothing else to do or read.” You chewed on your bottom lip nervously.

“Is this not a bookstore?” He smirked. “Simply choose something else.”

“I’ve already read everything here for the most part. Two years of free time really adds up Professor.”

“I see.” With that, he was out of the store before you could even utter a goodbye. The rest of your shift carried on as usual afterwards, but you did have a bit more of a spring in your step following the encounter with the man who had been your favorite professor. He looked so different now. It had only been two years since you last saw him, but he seemed to have changed somehow. You couldn’t quite put a finger on it, though whenever you tried picturing his face, your heart beat a little bit faster. The rest of your shift breezed by after that.

Days went by and with each one you hoped that Snape would stop by the shop again. Unfortunately, that didn’t end up happening. It was already the new year which meant students would be coming back soon and the shop should liven up. The first Hogsmeade visit after holiday break was always your favorite back when you were in school. Especially after your parents, who were both muggles, figured out how to get ahold of some galleons for you. Everyone raced down to the village with money burning holes in their pockets. Rushing the shops to buy anything you could have ever wanted.

That’s why your boss had been ordering lots of new stuff to fill the shelves. He was preparing for the after Christmas rush, which inevitably never really came for this type of store. Sure, it sold a few odd items or supplies some students might be interested in, but nothing they would be banging down the door for. Unless of course they wanted to own all of Lockhart’s works.

Speaking of Lockhart, you had spent the majority of your days reading through his books. Slowly you grew tired of them. It was true what Snape had said, they were rubbish. They also didn’t seem very believable anymore. But there was nothing else to read, so that’s what occupied most of your afternoons.

On one particular evening, only a few minutes before the shop was supposed to close, you were stacking random copies of books to see how high you could get it without it falling over. There hadn’t been a customer in hours so the moment it hit 9:00 pm you planned on locking up and running home to hide under a thousand blankets.

The chiming of a bell from the shop door distracted you from placing the crowning jewel on your tower. Who could possibly need something this late at night? You stepped out from behind the counter and there stood a man brushing snow off his black trench coat.

“Professor Snape! H-How can I help you?”

He turned around to face you. His mouth was covered by a series of scarves which he pulled off and draped over his arms. It must have started snowing again and pretty heavily from the amount of snowflakes that adorned his hair. “It’s cold in here.” He stepped away from the welcome mat and over to the section of the store that had large mason jars. He examined them quietly before pulling one off the shelf.

“Oh, yea sorry about that. I uhm always put out the fire right before I close up. Would you like some warm tea? Mr. Glover has a kettle in the back. It’ll only take a few moments.”

Snape stood by the front counter and laid out his few items on it. “No thanks. Just this.”

You rushed over to behind the register to ring him up. “Just one galleon please.”

Snape handed you the coin and you started to bag his items, but he stopped you. “No need. I’m going to use the jar in a few moments.”

“Alright. Anything else today Professor?”

Snape stood silent for a few moments, fiddling with the lid of the jar. There was a part of him that didn’t want to leave. He kept telling himself it was because he didn’t want to return to the cold, but it wasn’t much warmer inside either. It had just been a while since he had been in the company of someone who didn’t seem to loathe him. He glanced over at your book tower and smirked. “I see you’ve found better use for Lockhart’s books.”

You laughed and Snape was pleased he had managed to evoke such a reaction. Most people didn’t enjoy his sense of humor. “Yes well they got a bit repetitive. Was too predictable for my taste, you know?”

“No. I haven’t read them. It’s hard enough having to work at the same place as him, I’d prefer for my down time to remain Lockhart free.” He rolled his eyes and you bit back another laugh.

“I forgot. He’s working at the castle this year isn’t he. Defense against the dark arts right?”

“Unfortunately so.” Snape murmured.

You knew the topic was a bit touchy for him. Snape had always wanted to be the defense teacher, but you loved his potions class and couldn’t see anyone else teaching it as well as he had. “I bet that’ll be disastrous.”

“Already has been.” Snape glanced at the clock hanging on the wall by the entrance. “So, what type of books do you like then?”

It was a good question. Not something you were expecting, and it took you a moment to come up with an answer. “I guess I like something where the unexpected happens. Relatable and realistic characters. The hero shouldn’t always win.” You glanced up at Snape and he was staring at you intently, hanging onto your every word. “Sorry if that didn’t make any sense.”

“No, it made sense.”

“But?”

Snape looked to the clock again. “I really must be going. Besides I’ve kept you here past closing. Thank you for the jars Miss L/N.” and he was once again out the door leaving you confused and curious. You never really gotten to talk with him like that before. Hell, you didn’t get to talk to anyone anymore. The exchange was a nice change in your usual routine, and you found yourself smiling the entire walk back to your home. Replaying the conversation in your head over and over.

The next day was spent dusting the tops of the shelving that Mr. Glover couldn’t reach. The few days when he was actually present in the store were pleasant ones. He had lots of stories from his time as a curse breaker and they were far more interesting than anything in any book you had ever read. You stepped off the step stool and dusted off your hands when he told you to take a break.

Breaks seemed a bit redundant at the shop. Usually, you would sit in the back room and pick at some leftovers or sip on a cup of tea for a few minutes before Mr. Glover inevitably called you out to help him with something. You were eating a lunch consisting of pasta and reading over the daily prophet when your name was called.

“Y/N.” The raspy voice of your boss drew your eyes away from the newspaper. “There’s an older gentlemen in the shop askin for ya.”

An older gentlemen? You folded up the paper and got to your feet. Looking from the doorway, you saw Snape drumming his fingers on the counter while staring off into the distance. You immediately stood up straight, smoothed down the fabric of your dress, and walked out from the backroom.

“Professor. What brings you in today?” You gave him your best smile but of course he didn’t return it.

Snape took in a deep breath. When he first walked into the shop and didn’t see you, he thought about retreating back to the castle. He had spent the entirety of the walk down to the little bookstore practicing what he was going to say but now that he was here, it all went out the window.

“Afternoon Miss L/N.” He nodded curtly and you returned it. “I came in because I needed.... ink bottles.”

The smile on your face faltered slightly. That’s what he interrupted your lunch for?

“Uh sure they’re next to you.”

Sure enough, there they were right next to his hands. Snape fumbled with a few of the bottles and slid them across the counter. Internally he was beating himself up. Get it together Severus.

“Is that all today, sir?”

Snape winced slightly at your tone. Normally it was light and playful, but now it just felt distant. “No actually. I wanted to give you this.” He reached into his coat and pulled a package wrapped in an old copy of the daily prophet, tied close with a piece of twine.

“For me?” You gaped at him. He responded with a brief nod. You wasted no time tearing into the present. Curious as to what the brooding potions master could possibly gift you. Your hands made contact with the leather surface of a beautiful book. Blue leather decorated with swirling patterns of gold. You tore the paper away from the spine and read aloud the title, “Jane Eyre.”

“Have you read it before?” He stuffed his hands into his pockets. He was watching your every reaction and he couldn’t quite decipher your feelings just yet.

“Not I haven’t. Although I’m not a huge classic literature fan.” You couldn’t stop staring at the book. It was clearly well loved since the spine had been cracked and some of the gold on the cover had faded. You went to smile at Snape, but he looked a bit saddened. “I’ll still give it a read. Although it might take me ages and I can’t guarantee I’ll understand it too much. This is quite a long read.”

Snape perked up. “I’m sure you’ll manage. Let me know if you like it.”

You narrowed your eyes playfully. “This isn’t you regifting me something you got for Christmas is it?”

“Actually, it’s from my personal collection” Snape had spent all last night looking through his shelves. He hadn’t gone in with the intention of gifting you a book, merely to recommend one but after stumbling across the copy of Jane Eyre, he knew he had to give it to you. Especially after you talked about your fondness for the unconventional characters.

Your cheeks burned. This felt like such a thoughtful gift, and you couldn’t think of the right words to respond. “Are you sure you wanna give me something like this? I’m not even sure if it’s my thing.”

“More of a Lockhart fan?”

“No! I just…” Words seemed to have escaped you.

“Just give it a chance. There might be something in there that you like.”

“Thank you Professor.” You beamed up at him which caused Snape to cough awkwardly. He wasn’t expecting such a smile and it caught him a little off guard.

“Well. I’ll leave you to it.” He backed away from the counter and started towards the door.

“Professor?” You called after him. He spun around slowly. “Yes?”

“You forgot your ink bottles!”

Snape’s cheeks flushed pink. “Oh yes, of course.” He walked back over and took the bag then attempted to retreat again.

“Uh Professor?” He froze. What now?

“You forgot to pay too.”

Snape stopped by almost daily after giving you the book. Sometimes he would pretend to browse around for a while before he approached you. You would always ask him how you could help him and what he needed from the shop, and he would always widen his eyes and grab the nearest thing off the shelf and say, “just ran out of these actually!”

You tried not to call him out on his obvious lies but when he came into the shop three days in a row for ink bottles and new quills, it was just too tempting.

“Didn’t you buy some of those yesterday?” You smirked.

“What’s it to you, silly girl?”

“It’s just that’s two days in a row you’ve managed to empty over six bottles of ink. What are you up there creating?” You folded your arms, and Snape began to rub the back of his neck. You had started to notice he did this whenever he was caught in a lie.

“Nothing. I just keep running out. Students knock them over.” He waved his hands dismissively, but a bit of color dusted his cheeks.

“Of course. That’ll be 7 sickles. Anything else today?”

“How’s the book coming along?”

You took in a sharp breath. You had only read maybe the first few pages and started to lose interest. Classic literature really wasn’t your favorite and as much as you wanted to like it since it seemed to mean so much to him, you found yourself putting the book down minutes after picking it up. “I’ll be honest, I haven’t read much of it yet. Like I said I’m not a classic literature fan”

Snape frowned but leaned forward over the counter. He was so close to you now. You could see every line and imperfection on him. The smell of leather and rosemary invading your senses. His onyx eyes searched yours for a bit while your heart felt like it had stopped beating.

“I really think you’d like it. If you give it a chance that is. It’s not perfect, but don’t you like the perfectly imperfect, Miss L/N?”

“Y-Yes I do.”

“Till tomorrow then.”

That night was spent absorbed in the pages of Jane Eyre. At first, you struggled to see why Snape would suggest to you such a book, but as the story progressed it became increasingly clear. The perfectly imperfect that he had been talking about. By the time morning came, you had finished over half of the book. You couldn’t wait to see him today. To tell him how much you were loving it. To hopefully witness that sparkle in his eyes whenever he discussed something he was proud of or found amusing.

Snape didn’t show his face until about an hour from closing. You had already given up hope that he would come, so when you turned around to step off the step stool you had been using to stock the top shelf and saw him next to you, you nearly fell over. Thankfully, he was there to help steady you.

“I guess I’ve arrived at the perfect moment.” His touched lingered on your shoulders. Despite how cold it was outside, his hands were warm. You desperately wished to hold them in your own.

“Not really Professor. I’ve got to finish stocking so I can go home on time.” You brushed him off and fetched the other stack of books and finished placing them on the shelves.

“Perhaps I could assist you? So we could talk.” He handed you some books which you added onto the shelf.

“Talk about what?”

“The book. If you’ve given it a read.” Snape had pulled out his wand behind his back and used it to make the remaining books fill the shelves on their own.

“I have. You were right. There is something in it I like.” You stepped off the stool again, with Snape offering you his hand to help you down.

“And what is that?”

“Edward Rochester. I always have a soft spot for a well written Byronic hero.”

Snape mustered a half smile. He was pleased to hear you say such a thing. “I knew you would.”

Both of you spent the next hour discussing things. From books and potions to Snape’s clear disdain for Lockhart. At first, Snape stood idly by while you tidied around the shop, but as he got really passionate about his rant he started absentmindedly helping out. Sweeping the floors, rerolling parchment, or wiping down surfaces. Snape used magic for most of the stuff.

“Babbling fool. I’m constantly cleaning up his messes. I took great pleasure in launching him across the room.”

“Things sound tough at the castle this year.” You dropped the galleons back into the register having finished counting them.

“You have no idea.” He sighed and you laughed. He loved that laugh. Though Snape didn’t have the courage to say it, there was one thing that was making this year a bit more tolerable. That would be his constant visits down to Hogsmeade. The conversations weren’t anything spectacular, but it was nice to have someone to speak to that had nothing to do with the Potter boy. Someone to vent to. A friend almost.

Were you his friend?

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud yawn coming from you. It was a quarter till ten. You had ended up staying 45 minutes past closing. He knew you would need to leave soon and that he would see you again tomorrow. But it didn’t lessen the ache in his heart.

“I’ll finish the rest in the morning before I open. Thank you for your help Professor!” You set down the boxes you had pulled from the back and headed over to the fireplace to make sure it had completely extinguished.

“You can call me Severus. I’m not your professor anymore after all.” Snape pulled on his gloves and scarf. Keeping his back to you so you couldn’t see him blushing.

“Alright then. Have a good night, Severus.”

Merlin the name sounded so lovely when you said it. He longed to stay in this bookshop with you forever. Discussing anything as long as it meant he could stay in the presence of someone who genuinely enjoyed his company. At least he hoped you did.

“You too Miss L/N.” He nodded curtly and opened the wooden door to leave.

“Y/N.” You corrected him.

He merely nodded again and left the shop. You went to the backroom to grab your bag, stuffing the copy of Jane Eyre in it, and took your leave. Mumbling the word “Severus” under your breath every so often. You couldn’t explain how the name made you feel, but the butterflies in your stomach told you everything you needed to know. You had developed a crush.

Winter turned into spring and spring turned into summer. You and Severus had grown quite close. He didn’t visit every day, but on the days he did, he would stay at the shop for hours. Mr. Glover joked that he should hire the man since he spent most of his time there. Severus of course turned red at his words.

He also no longer pretended to come in just to buy things. But you noticed during the term he would come down frequently because “Minerva needed this” or “Albus requested one of these.” Almost as if he was volunteering to run down to the village.

You had finished Jane Eyre and when you tried to return the copy, Severus insisted you keep it. You refused at first but came to a compromise when you suggested he read one of your favorite books. He ended up loving your recommendation and you both just went back and forth. Each week you switched off, you gave him a copy of 1984 and he gave you a copy of Moby Dick.

Severus was really passionate about it. He would have a notebook where he made notes on what he read. He would read them off and you would discuss theories or your favorite characters. Every so often the subject would stray away from books, and you would discuss your week. On rare occasions the conversation turned personal. Those ones were your favorite. Getting a glimpse at the intimidating man’s personal thoughts and feelings. You wanted to get to know him better, but he had walls up that seemed impossible to tear down.

You had been quite open with him. Over the last few months, he learned your favorite foods and your favorite flower. He even brought you a potted F/F. Boasting about how he grew it himself. It was through interactions like this you were able to learn about him. He loved to garden and hoped to one day have his own greenhouse.

“I’d like to live in a place with a big kitchen, but somewhere away from Hogsmeade.”

“Why’s that?” He was sat with you in the backroom enjoying the cup of tea you poured him.

“Not sure. I’ve done everything. Seen everything. Just want a change of pace I guess.” You stirred your tea absentmindedly. Working in a bookstore hadn’t been your first career choice, but it was better than nothing.

“I don’t want you to leave.” Severus whispered.

“What was that?” You leaned forward, turning your head so you could hear him better.

Severus eyes widened and he faltered for a moment. “I said look at those leaves. Autumn is almost over.”

You joined him in looking out the window. Only a few trees still had their leaves now. It would only be a matter of time before winter was upon you once again. You and Severus had been friends now for almost a year. You turned back to him and gave him one of those bright smiles that caused his breath to hitch.

“So, what book did you bring for me this time Sev?”

“Pride and Prejudice.”

-=-=-

You were actually looking forward to Christmas break this year. Normally it would be the bane of your existence. Spending hours locked up in a bookstore by yourself with only customers to talk to, but this year would be different. Severus had already promised to come visit you once a day throughout the entire break. You told him you would hold him to his promise and that if he broke it, you would never share your lunches with him ever again.

The first day of break he came into the shop while you were decorating and caught you singing and dancing to Christmas songs. He stayed silent by the entrance and just watched you with a smile plastered on his face. When you caught him staring, you were so embarrassed you started throwing tinsel and ornaments at him.

“What’s that for?” He rubbed his shoulder where a golden ball had bounced off him.

“You were judging my dancing.” You backed away from the now fully decorated tree and admired your handiwork.

“You’re not a very good one.” He smirked.

“Have you come in just to insult me today Severus?”

“No actually I-” He paused and looked around the store. There were a customer finishing up a purchase at the front with the owner and one lingering around the used book section. “Are you here till closing tonight?”

“I always am.” You gave a halfhearted smile and made your way over to the register to ask Mr. Glover for your break, that way you could speak to Severus in private.

“Oh.”

He seemed disappointed. You couldn’t tell why. Severus had never asked you about your plans for the rest of the day since he knew it usually consisted of work. You both only spent time together at the bookstore so there had never been a reason to.

Mr. Glover was finishing up with a customer and you didn’t wish to interrupt him, so you turned back around to face Severus. “Why is there something you needed?”

“It doesn’t matter. Never mind.” His hands massaged the nape of his neck, and you immediately knew he was lying.

“No tell me!” You nibbled on your lower lip nervously. You hoped you weren’t reading into his actions too much, but it sounded like he wanted to see you after work.

“I just wanted to know if you wanted to go to the three broomsticks for a drink. After all I never see you outside this place.”

“Sev I would love to, but I work until-”

“No ya don’t.” Interrupted Mr. Glover. He stepped around from the register and stood next to you. He took your hand in his and smiled warmly. “Take the rest of the night off.”

“But Sir-”

“No buts. I wanted to close up early today anyways. ‘ve got Christmas shoppin’ to do. You two go have fun.” He squeezed your hand gently before walking over to the door and flipping the open sign over so “CLOSED” was displayed.

“Well, if that drink is still on the table, I’d love to get one with you.”

Severus nodded and you walked to the back to grab your stuff. He started to stress a bit. He didn’t expect to get to this point and now that he was here he didn’t know what to do. You came out from the back with your bag clutched in your hands, a knitted hat covered your hair and a warm jacket wrapped around you.

“Ready?” You stood next to him and almost grabbed his hand.

“After you.” He held open the door and with a wave goodbye to the old man, you stepped out into the snowy village of Hogsmeade and down towards the three broomsticks.

“I haven’t been out in ages. Thank you for inviting me Sev!”

“Of course.” You walked in comfortable silence side by side down the snow laden path. Severus desperately wanted to reach out and take your hand in his own. Every once in a while yours would accidentally brush against his and it sent sparks through his whole body. He doubted you would ever feel the same though, so he kept his hands to himself.

When you approached the three broomsticks, Severus held open the door for you once again and you smiled as you slipped past him. The place was packed. There were no free tables, and it was really noisy inside. It wasn’t how you pictured an evening with Severus going. Severus stood behind you, his chest right against your back, as he leaned down to whisper in your ear, “Perhaps we should go somewhere else.”

“Sounds like a plan.” You turned around and without thinking, held onto his hand so he could escort you out of the crowded building. Outside again, you still held onto him. He didn’t seem bothered by it and led you down past other buildings until you ended up in a small clearing.

Snowcapped trees surrounded a frozen lake where some people were skating. You walked hand in hand till you reached an old wooden bench which you both sat down on after Severus brushed off the snow. “Sorry the three broomsticks didn’t work out.” He frowned.

“It’s alright.” You stared down at your hands in your lap. It had never felt so difficult to come up with words. Normally conversations flowed freely between you two but now it felt different. A small shiver ran through you, so you pulled your jacket tighter. Severus saw this and pulled one of the scarves from his neck and laid it over yours. It smelled strongly of him.

“Thanks.” You blushed but thankfully he wouldn’t be able to see it.

“Severus I-”

“Y/N-”

You both spoke at the same time. Your blush deepened and you had to turn the other direction to avoid his eyes. “You first.” You whispered.

“Oh, um well I just wanted to ask you your Christmas plans is all.”

“I’m not sure yet. Normally I would visit family. But they're traveling this year. I think I'll have some hot chocolate and watch the snow fall. Sounds like it could be quite peaceful. What about you?”

“About the same.”

After a while of sitting in awkward silence, you pulled out from your bag the book you had been reading at Sev’s recommendation, hoping it would give you something to discuss. Severus saw and he offered to read it to you. You immediately agreed and passed him over the book. You watched the ice skaters in front of you as Severus read from To Kill a Mockingbird.

“Sev, if it’s okay with you… could I hold your hands? They’re usually warm.” Your hands were frozen and despite shoving them in the confines of your jacket, they hadn’t warmed up.

He didn’t say anything but held out one of his large hands, the other now gripping the copy of the book so tight his knuckles paled. You placed yours on top of his. He encased them and you soon felt the heat of his hand transfer to yours.

You ended up scooting closer to him on the bench so now your shoulders were pressed up next to each other as well. He returned to the pages and began reading again. His deep voice lulling you into a trance. You were so relaxed your head fell against his shoulder and closed your eyes.

You awoke to Severus lightly nudging you. “Y/N. It’s starting to snow. We should go inside somewhere.”

You got to your feet and joined him in walking away from the lake. He was a bit further ahead of you since his strides were much longer than yours. It was the perfect opportunity to catch him off guard.

Severus trudged through the snow back towards the village. He had passed a large tree when a something wet and cold hit him square in the back. He spun on his heel and saw you bent over forming another snowball.

“Oh no you don’t” He chuckled and bent over to create his own. He threw one at you and it missed you just barely.

“Nice try Sevy!” You tossed another at him, and it got him in the knees.

The snowball fight continued for a while till your hands started to feel numb. However, you didn’t plan on admitting defeat so easily. Severus threw a rather large clump of snow at you, and it crashed into your cheek. His eyes widened and he ran over to you.

“Are you alright?” He panicked. Grabbing your chin so he could observe where it hit you. While he was paying attention to your face, you were able to smash a bit of snow into his. He closed his eyes briefly and smirked, “Oh you insufferable girl. You’ll regret that”

You laughed and started to run away from him. It didn’t take long for him to catch up to you and back you against a nearby tree. Each of you panting from the difficult task of running in deep snow. He held your hands and brought them up to his mouth and blew warm air on them.

Snow was falling around you, snowflakes dotting his black suede jacket and hair. He gazed into your E/C eyes. He had that sparkle in his own that you loved so much. You stared at his thin parted lips, and without hesitation, stood on your tip toes to kiss him. When you pulled away, Severus stared at you in shock.

“Sev?” You pressed a tentative kiss to his cheek, but before you could back away, he tugged you closer by your waist and connected his lips to yours. You wrapped your arms around his neck and returned the kiss just as passionately. The relief that your attraction was mutual flowed through you. Your entire body felt hot despite being out in freezing temperatures. His hands wandered to your lower back as his tongue worked its way into your mouth. All the feelings you had held back for the past year coming through the kiss.

Your lips separated from his. He leaned his forehead against yours and hummed appreciatively. “I’ve wanted to do that for what feels like forever.” He smiled and tucked a piece of hair that had escaped your hat behind your ear. “I wish I had the courage to do it sooner.”

He bent down and pressed a kiss to your temple. “Come. Let’s get inside before you catch a cold.” He held you close to him, an arm snaked around your waist, as you walked the path back to Hogsmeade. “How would you feel about spending Christmas with me this year Y/N?”

“I think that would make me completely, and perfectly, and incandescently happy, Severus.”